MrCoffee
New member
Hey Everyone,
Been lurking for a while, and I thought it was time to start posting, now that I have moved beyond the "wishing" stage, into an actual building stage. So many awesome vehicles here, my own projects seem a bit.... lame in comparison.... :/ I haven't seen any Durango's here on the forum..... maybe I just haven't looked in the right place yet?
Like the title says, I am taking my old daily drive, and starting a restore/build project. Since both time and funds are very limited, and because of some special considerations (explained below), this is going to be a very mild build. I am going to try and stay pretty close to stock for the most part.
Here's an older picture of the truck, will get some more current ones to add to the thread.
The rig is completely stock, except for slightly upsized tires, or at least upsized according to the dealer. It is a standard SLT package, with the 5.2L V-8. I am running generic 31"X10"X15" AT tires. The dealer says that the stock size is/was 235/75/15, but the books says 31's on the SLT package. Either way, I have no rub, and plenty of room with the 31's.
The good:
106k original miles (I have owned it since 30k)
Engine, transfer case, transmission, axles all solid, no drive line issues.
New ball joints, tie rods, front brakes.
Floors, tailgate, quarter panels all solid
Decent mileage, avg 18-20 if I am gentle on the pedal.
After market towing package installed.
The bad:
Front Bumper rusted through, needs replacing
Drives door shot, rusted through
Steer has tons of play, lower column needs replacing
Exhaust rotted through at manifold
Rear brakes shot, pads are non existent, drums are pretty bad too
Gas tank skid plate missing, no idea when it was removed or why, just noticed it was gone one day... :/
Headlight lens are junk, cloudy to the point of useless, fog lights are dead
Paint on hood scratched threw to bare metal
Dead battery
Screwy master door locks/window control switch
So it isn't a bad list, nothing huge or unrepairable.
One of the biggest problems with the project is I am not mechanically inclined at all. I don't mind doing the work, I actually kind of enjoy it, but I am not very good at it, nor do I have any experience. Because of budget, I have to do the work on this myself, with friends helping. The steering is my biggest concern, then the exhaust.
The basic plan is to correct all the mechanical problems, replace the bumper and door, and then start adding to the rig for overland travel, but not anything too extreme. I have driven this rig off-road a number of times, taken it on the trails that I use to travel with my TJ and YJ's, and I have found it to be pretty capable. Nothing to extreme, because it was/is my family mover/daily driver, still I have a solid feel of what it can do.
Upgrades/add-on's:
Brush Guard/pre runner (?)
Rooftop cargo rack
32"X11"X15 (?) or at least MT rated tires (maybe better AT tires?)
Nerf Bars/rock sliders (the stock running board rotted off)
Skid Plates
Tow Hooks/Recovery gear
Rear lighting
CB and dual band 2m/70cm radio's
Some considerations I have to keep in mind with this build/project. One, I am out in all kinds of wild weather, as a member of ARES/CERT, but also because I am in New England we get the full gambit of weather. Wind is a major concern, as I travel a good section of highway to and from work that is known for dangerous cross winds. I spend a good deal of time during the hurricane Irene pulling stuck cars out of huge puddles. Second, my youngest child is special needs, and has trouble getting up into the Durango at it's current height. So I do not plan to lift this rig at all.
The truck has great cargo space, one of the things I love about it, but with 3 dogs, 2 kids, plus myself and my wife, that space gets used up very quickly. We have a Hi-Lo camper, and I need to keep that in mind, for towing. (only a a 14ft, but it is 3800, empty!) Most of the time for exploring we'll be using a small utility trailer and not the camper. Being in New England, the trails vary a lot, and I am not really interested in hard core rock crawling (can't with my son anyways), but exploring class 4 roads is more what we'd like to do.
I looked at recovery gear, and a winch plus the brush guard/mount combo, and the pricing is way out of what I can afford. I am going to install additional tow hooks, front and rear, get a solid set of straps and a come a long. That is the best I can do with my budget.
Anyways, I hope to have this project up and rolling by the time the Vermont Overland Rally/Workshop rolls around in a couple of months. Will post up pics and info as I work on the project.
Cheers!
Been lurking for a while, and I thought it was time to start posting, now that I have moved beyond the "wishing" stage, into an actual building stage. So many awesome vehicles here, my own projects seem a bit.... lame in comparison.... :/ I haven't seen any Durango's here on the forum..... maybe I just haven't looked in the right place yet?
Like the title says, I am taking my old daily drive, and starting a restore/build project. Since both time and funds are very limited, and because of some special considerations (explained below), this is going to be a very mild build. I am going to try and stay pretty close to stock for the most part.
Here's an older picture of the truck, will get some more current ones to add to the thread.
The rig is completely stock, except for slightly upsized tires, or at least upsized according to the dealer. It is a standard SLT package, with the 5.2L V-8. I am running generic 31"X10"X15" AT tires. The dealer says that the stock size is/was 235/75/15, but the books says 31's on the SLT package. Either way, I have no rub, and plenty of room with the 31's.
The good:
106k original miles (I have owned it since 30k)
Engine, transfer case, transmission, axles all solid, no drive line issues.
New ball joints, tie rods, front brakes.
Floors, tailgate, quarter panels all solid
Decent mileage, avg 18-20 if I am gentle on the pedal.
After market towing package installed.
The bad:
Front Bumper rusted through, needs replacing
Drives door shot, rusted through
Steer has tons of play, lower column needs replacing
Exhaust rotted through at manifold
Rear brakes shot, pads are non existent, drums are pretty bad too
Gas tank skid plate missing, no idea when it was removed or why, just noticed it was gone one day... :/
Headlight lens are junk, cloudy to the point of useless, fog lights are dead
Paint on hood scratched threw to bare metal
Dead battery
Screwy master door locks/window control switch
So it isn't a bad list, nothing huge or unrepairable.
One of the biggest problems with the project is I am not mechanically inclined at all. I don't mind doing the work, I actually kind of enjoy it, but I am not very good at it, nor do I have any experience. Because of budget, I have to do the work on this myself, with friends helping. The steering is my biggest concern, then the exhaust.
The basic plan is to correct all the mechanical problems, replace the bumper and door, and then start adding to the rig for overland travel, but not anything too extreme. I have driven this rig off-road a number of times, taken it on the trails that I use to travel with my TJ and YJ's, and I have found it to be pretty capable. Nothing to extreme, because it was/is my family mover/daily driver, still I have a solid feel of what it can do.
Upgrades/add-on's:
Brush Guard/pre runner (?)
Rooftop cargo rack
32"X11"X15 (?) or at least MT rated tires (maybe better AT tires?)
Nerf Bars/rock sliders (the stock running board rotted off)
Skid Plates
Tow Hooks/Recovery gear
Rear lighting
CB and dual band 2m/70cm radio's
Some considerations I have to keep in mind with this build/project. One, I am out in all kinds of wild weather, as a member of ARES/CERT, but also because I am in New England we get the full gambit of weather. Wind is a major concern, as I travel a good section of highway to and from work that is known for dangerous cross winds. I spend a good deal of time during the hurricane Irene pulling stuck cars out of huge puddles. Second, my youngest child is special needs, and has trouble getting up into the Durango at it's current height. So I do not plan to lift this rig at all.
The truck has great cargo space, one of the things I love about it, but with 3 dogs, 2 kids, plus myself and my wife, that space gets used up very quickly. We have a Hi-Lo camper, and I need to keep that in mind, for towing. (only a a 14ft, but it is 3800, empty!) Most of the time for exploring we'll be using a small utility trailer and not the camper. Being in New England, the trails vary a lot, and I am not really interested in hard core rock crawling (can't with my son anyways), but exploring class 4 roads is more what we'd like to do.
I looked at recovery gear, and a winch plus the brush guard/mount combo, and the pricing is way out of what I can afford. I am going to install additional tow hooks, front and rear, get a solid set of straps and a come a long. That is the best I can do with my budget.
Anyways, I hope to have this project up and rolling by the time the Vermont Overland Rally/Workshop rolls around in a couple of months. Will post up pics and info as I work on the project.
Cheers!
